Abstract
The current study was carried out with a view to investigate the influence of a number of metallurgical parameters on the tensile properties and quality indices of two high strength Al-9%Si casting alloys, namely 354 and 359, containing 1.8% Cu-0.5%Mg and 0.5%Mg, respectively. For the purposes of validating their use in industrial applications, a solid database was created, based on the present study, to correlate the tensile properties and the quality indices of these alloys with the most common metallurgical parameters controlling the properties. The variables investigated include iron level; copper content; solution heat treatment conditions; and aging temperatures and times. Quality charts were used as an evaluation tool for selecting the optimum conditions to be applied in practice in order to develop high strength and optimum quality in 354- and 359-type castings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
R.C. Lemon, C.R. Howle, Premium strength aluminum casting alloys 354 and 359. AFS Trans. 70, 465–470 (1963)
J.G. Kaufman, E.L. Rooy, Aluminum Alloy Castings: Properties, Processing, and Applications (ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, U.S.A., 2004)
ASM Handbook Vol. 2, “Properties and selection: Nonferrous alloys and special-purpose materials,” ASM International, Materials Information Society, U.S.A., 1990.
J.R. Davis, Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys, ASM Specialty Handbook (ASM International, Materials Park, OH, U.S.A., 1993)
J.L. Jorstad, W.M. Rasmussen, D.L. Zalensas, Aluminum Casting Technology (The American Foundrymen’s Society Inc., Des Plaines, IL, U.S.A., 1993)
J.G. Kaufman, Properties of Aluminum Alloys: Tensile, Creep, and Fatigue Data at High and Low Temperatures (ASM International, Materials Park, OH, U.S.A, 1999)
M. Drouzy, S. Jacob, M. Richard, Interpretation of tensile results by means of quality index and probable yield strength. AFS Int. Cast Met. J. 5, 43–50 (1980)
S. Jacob, Quality index in predicting of properties of aluminum castings-a review. AFS Trans. 108, 811–818 (2000)
C.H. Cáceres, Microstructure design and heat treatment selection for casting alloys using the quality index. J. Mater. Eng. Perform. 9(2), 215–221 (2000)
C.H. Cáceres, J. Barresi, Selection of temper and Mg content to optimize the quality index of Al-7Si-Mg casting alloys. Int. J. Cast Met. Res. 12, 377–384 (2000)
G.K. Sigworth, C.H. Cáceres, Quality issues in aluminum net shape castings. AFS Trans. 112, 1–15 (2004)
Y.-H. Cho, Y.-R. Im, S.-W. Kwon, H.-C. Lee, The effect of alloying elements on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-12Si Cast alloys. Mater. Sci. Forum 426–432, 339–344 (2003)
M. Zeren, Effect of copper and silicon content on mechanical properties in Al-Cu-Si-Mg alloys. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 169, 292–298 (2005)
C.H. Cáceres, I.L. Svensson, J.A. Taylor, Strength-ductility behaviour of Al-Si-Cu-Mg casting alloys in T6 temper. Int. J. Cast Met. Res. 15, 531–543 (2003)
F.H. Samuel, Incipient melting of Al5Mg8Si6Cu2 and Al2Cu intermetallics in unmodified and strontium-modified Al-Si-Cu-Mg (319) alloys during solution heat treatment. J. Mater. Sci. 33, 2283–2297 (1998)
H.J. Sokolowski, X.-C. Sun, G. Byczynski, D.O. Northwood, D.E. Penrod, R. Thomas, A. Esseltine, The removal of copper-phase segregation and the subsequent improvement in mechanical properties of cast 319 aluminum alloys by a two-stage solution heat treatment. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 53, 385–392 (1995)
O. Reiso, H.-G. Øverlie, N. Ryum, Dissolution and melting of secondary Al2Cu phase particles in an AlCu alloy. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 12A, 1689–1695 (1990)
R.N. Lumley, R.G. Odonnell, D.R. Gunasegaram, M. Givord, Heat treatment of high-pressure die castings. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 38A, 2564–2574 (2007)
R.N. Lumley, R.G. Odonnell, D.R. Gunasegaram, M. Givord, Blister free heat treatment of high pressure die-casting alloys. Mater. Sci. Forum 519–521, 351–358 (2006)
A.M. Samuel, J. Gauthier, F.H. Samuel, Microstructural aspects of the dissolution and melting of Al2Cu phase in Al-Si alloys during solution heat treatment. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 27A, 1785–1798 (1996)
C.H. Cáceres, J.H. Sokolowski, P. Gallo, Effect of aging and Mg content on the quality index of two model Al-Cu-Si-Mg alloys. Mater. Sci. Eng., A 271, 53–61 (1999)
C.H. Cáceres, T. Din, A.K.M.B. Rashid, J. Campbell, Effect of aging on quality index of an Al-Cu casting alloy. Mater. Sci. Technol. 15(6), 711–716 (1999)
N.D. Alexopoulos, S.G. Pantelakis, Quality assessment of artificially aged A357 aluminum alloy cast ingots by introducing approximate expressions of the quality index QD. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 35A, 3079–3089 (2004)
N.D. Alexopoulos, S.G. Pantelakis, Quality evaluation of A357 cast aluminum alloy specimens subjected to different artificial aging treatment. Mater. Des. 25, 419–430 (2004)
H.R. Ammar, C. Moreau, A.M. Samuel, F.H. Samuel, H.W. Doty, Effects of aging parameters on the quality of 413-type commercial alloys. Mater. Des. 30(4), 1014–1025 (2009)
H.R. Ammar, A.M. Samuel, F.H. Samuel, E. Simielli, G.K. Sigworth, J.C. Lin, Influence of aging parameters on the tensile properties and quality index of Al-9 pct Si-18 pct Cu-0.5 pct Mg 354-type casting alloys. Metall. Mater. Trans. A Phys. Metall. Mater. Sci. 43(1), 61–73 (2012)
H.R. Ammar, F.H. Samuel, A.M. Samuel, A.M.A. Al-Ahmari, Aging behavior of 359-type Al–9%Si–0.5%Mg casting alloys. J. Mater. Sci. 47, 1331–1338 (2012)
H.R. Ammar, F.H. Samuel, A.M. Samuel, G.K. Sigworth, J.C. Lin, Appropriate heat treatment procedures for improving strength and quality in 354-type casting alloys. AFS Trans. 118, 9 (2010)
H.R. Ammar, F.H. Samuel, A.M. Samuel, G.K. Sigworth, J.C. Lin, Developing superior strength and optimum quality in Al-9%Si-0.5%Mg casting alloys for structural applications. AFS Trans. 117, 149–168 (2009)
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Section 2: nonferrous metal products. Alum. Mag. Alloys 02(02), B108–B203 (2004)
S. Shivkumar, The interactive effects of Sr modification and heat treatment on the mechanical properties of cast aluminum alloys. In: 17th ASM Heat Treating Society Conference Proceedings Including the 1st International Induction Heat Treating Symposium, Vol. 15-18, 1998, pp. 265-269.
D.L. Zhang, L.H. Zheng, D.H. StJohn, Effect of a short solution treatment time on microstructure and mechanical properties of modified Al-7wt.%Si-0.3wt.%Mg Alloy. J. Light Met. 2, 27–36 (2002)
W.R. Osório, L.R. Garcia, P.R. Goulart, A. Garcia, Effects of eutectic modification and T4 heat treatment on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of an Al-9wt%Si casting alloy. Mater. Chem. Phys. 106, 343–349 (2007)
A. Baldan, Review progress in Ostwald ripening theories and their applications to nickel-base superalloys. J. Mater. Sci. 37, 2171–2202 (2002)
T.O. Mbuya, B.O. Odera, S.P. Ng’ang’a, Influence of iron on castability and properties of aluminum silicon alloys: literature review. Int. J. Cast Met. Res. 16(5), 451–465 (2003)
P.N. Crepeau, Effect of Iron in Al-Si Casting alloys: a critical review. AFS Trans. 103, 361–366 (1995)
A. Couture, Iron in aluminum casting alloys - a literature survey. AFS Int. Cast Met. J. 6, 9–17 (1981)
S. Murali, K.S. Raman, K.S.S. Murthy, The formation of β-FeSiAl5 and Be-Fe phases in Al-7Si-0.3Mg alloy containing Be. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 190, 165–172 (1995)
Y. Wang, Y. Xiong, Effects of beryllium in Al-Si-Mg-Ti cast alloys. Mater. Sci. Eng., A 280, 124–127 (2000)
M. Ravi, U.T.S. Pillai, B.C. Pai, A.D. Damodaran, E.S. Dwarakadasa, The effect of mischmetal additions on the structure and mechanical properties of a cast Al-7Si-0.3Mg alloy containing excess iron (up to 0.6 Pct). Metall. Mater. Trans. A 33, 391–400 (2002)
X. Cao, J. Campbell, Morphology of β-FeSiAl5 phase in Al-Si cast alloys. Mater. Trans. 47(5), 1303–1312 (2006)
S.K. Tang, T. Sritharan, Morphology of β-AlFeSi intermetallic in Al-7Si alloy castings. Mater. Sci. Technol. 14, 738–742 (1998)
A.M. Samuel, F.H. Samuel, C. Villeneuve, H.W. Doty, S. Valtierra, Effect of trace elements on β-Al5FeSi characteristics, porosity and tensile properties of Al-Si-Cu (319) cast alloys. Int. J. Cast Met. Res. 14, 97–120 (2001)
N. Roy, A.M. Samuel, F.H. Samuel, Porosity formation in Al-9 Wt Pct Si-3 Wt Pct Cu alloy systems: metallographic observations. Metall. Mater. Trans. A. 27A, 415–429 (1996)
C.M. Dinnis, J.A. Taylor, A.K. Dahle, Iron-related porosity in Al-Si-(Cu) foundry alloys. Mater. Sci. Eng., A 425, 286–296 (2006)
ASM Handbook Vol. 8, “Mechanical testing and evaluation,” The Materials Information Society, Materials Park, Ohio, U.S.A., 1990.
G.E. Dieter, Mechanical Metallurgy, 3rd edn. (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1986)
J.R. Davis, Tensile Testing, 2nd edn. (ASM International, Materials Park, OH, U.S.A, 2004)
C.D. Lee, Effects of microporosity on tensile properties of A356 aluminum alloy. Mater. Sci. Eng., A 464, 249–254 (2007)
H.G. Kang, M. Kida, H. Miyahara, K. Ogi, Age-hardening characteristics of Al-Si-Cu-base cast alloys. AFS Trans. 107, 507–515 (1999)
G. Wang, Q. Sun, L. Feng, L. Hui, C. Jing, Influence of Cu content on aging behavior of AlSiMgCu cast alloys. Mater. Des. 28, 1001–1005 (2007)
R.X. Li, R.D. Li, Y.H. Zhao, L.Z. He, C.X. Li, H.R. Guan, Z.Q. Hu, Age-hardening behavior of cast Al-Si base alloy. Mater. Lett. 58, 2096–2101 (2004)
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Amal Samuel for enhancing the quality of the images and drawings presented in this article.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ammar, H.R., Samuel, A.M., Doty, H.W. et al. Effect of Iron, Copper and Heat Treatments on the Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Al-Si-Based Alloys. Inter Metalcast 16, 1101–1121 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40962-021-00677-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40962-021-00677-6